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This recipe is very much like the one my grandmother passed down to me – oil based. The only difference – no sugar – more flour (2 cups total) – more milk (1/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup oil) – same amount of salt. It makes two crusts and I roll it out between two sheets of wax paper – I just peel and flip the crusts into the pie pan. It’s a tricky crust – not always the prettiest but it tastes delicious – everyone always thinks it is full of shortening and it isn’t!

Am I only the one who read this and thought, “58 cents? If I can get store bought with a coupon for $1 (or less), my time is certainly worth the other 42 cents?” Even if this recipe took five minutes, I still have to use hot water and dish soap (or the dishwasher) to clean the utensils, bowl, etc. Then I have to scrub my hands, wipe off the counter, probably sweep the floor (because I always spill flour on the floor). If I got really good I could crank out 12 of these an hour, but still only save $5.

Just wanted to mention all this since saving money doesn’t really always save money.

One thing to consider, though, is that the ingredients in this are probably quite a bit better than most storebought pie crusts. For some people, that’s worth the extra time and effort. Or, if you’re like me and rarely find a good deal on pie crusts, it’s also a good idea — especially if it only takes a few minutes of time to pull off!

I was actually thinking of your tortilla post when I wrote this! I’m sure homemade tortillas have more healthful ingredients than store bought, but I still don’t want to make those either. 🙂

However, I do make all my pie fillings from scratch. Meaning, I pick all my own fruit, slice and pit as necessary, etc. For me, the difference in quality between store bought pie filling and homemade is enormous. The difference in crust? Not so much. One is worth the time and one is not.

I think it comes down to not only how much money you save, but also what you like to do. I can 100 jars of apple butter a year as gifts (with apples picked from my orchard) but have only made two pie crusts in my life. The difference is that I enjoy making apple butter, and despised making those two pie crusts. It’s quite possible that even if someone paid me for each crust, I still wouldn’t do it. For me, being frugal only pays off when it saves me money and feels like an enjoyable investment in my time.

If you love homemade crust, AND love making it, this recipe is great, regardless of the cost savings.

Yes, I think we constantly have to evaluate what is worth the time/cost-savings and what isn’t. I think you bring up some great points for people to consider, which I really appreciate!

For me — at this season in life — if something doesn’t save me at least $20 per hour and isn’t something I love to do, then I usually won’t put forth the effort to do it. I’d rather focus my time and energy on things that I love to do that also save me the most time and money. But if you’re in a season/situation of life where saving $3-$4 per hour is every bit worth it because you have lots of time and no money, than it changes your perspective.

Long term, however, I think it’s important to be moving towards a place where you can consider the ROI more.

I agree with everything you’re saying, Crystal. And I hope you don’t think I was criticizing this post! Having the option to save money in all areas of your life is invaluable, regardless of whether we take advantage of them all.

I counsel others on couponing and frugal living, but have found many who want to give up because they think they must do EVERYTHING possible to save pennies in every way. If they aren’t saving as much as those crazies on Extreme Couponing, they feel like failures. If they buy something that could have been made from scratch, they feel guilty. They think frugal living is an all or nothing proposition when it’s not, and often give up because of that. Finding what works for you is what’s most important.

I didn’t mean to make this a comment-extravaganza. Your blog is my favorite, and I appreciate everything you do!

Don’t worry, you aren’t criticizing at all; you’re providing a valuable different viewpoint and I appreciate it!

I think it’s really important for people to realize you can’t do everything — you have to pick and choose what works for you. And, in my opinion, strategic splurging is totally okay when it’s in the budget! 🙂

I would love to know your apple butter recipe and secrets to canning it! I have wanted to do that for Christmas gifts too but got scared when I read online about canning/bacteria/the safety of pumpkin butter, etc.

Don’t be afraid of apple butter! Pumpkin butter is not safe to can at home due to pumpkin being a low acid food, but apples are high acid so they are hard to mess up. I’ve never had a jar spoil. I make mine in the crockpot (borrowing several from friends when I want to do a bunch all at once) which means I’m not stirring a pot all day. The quantities below are for a 6 quart slow cooker but can be adjusted for a smaller one, or to your taste. This recipe is extremely forgiving if you decide to tweak the ratios.

Crockpot Apple Butter
Fill your crockpot to the very top with peeled and chopped apples (as much as you can fit with the lid on). To them add:

Mix to combine (and don’t worry if you can’t get a good mix with all the apples in there) and set the crockpot on low in the evening, leaving it on all night. In the morning it should be reduced by at least half (and your house should smell wonderful). Take off the lid, leave it off, and turn it up to high, stirring about once an hour until the butter is very dark and will stick to the spoon when you turn it over (or till you think it’s thick enough for your liking). How long this part takes depends on how hot your crockpot gets. If your crockpot is newer you can leave it on low and it will reach this point. Older pots don’t get as hot and need the extra boost to high. If the mixture begins to spatter, turn it down to low. It will still reach the same point, but will just take longer. Once it’s done, use a stick blender directly in the crockpot to get a smooth consistency the easy way, or you can run it through a food mill. You can also just leave it chunky. There are also many recipes on the web that start with store-bought applesauce instead of fresh apples, which means you don’t even have to chop and peel anything, and there’s no need to blend. If you got a good deal on applesauce and wanted to try a practice batch, that might be the way to go.

To can: process in sterilized jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. If you have a pressure cooker you can can them that way, but apple products are considered safe to can with a water bath due to their high acid content. Good luck! I’ve had feedback from older people who said this version of apple butter tastes much closer to the traditional kind than the runnier, super-sweet versions you can buy today.

And a super frugal tip: If you make this from fresh apples, use the leftover peels to make Apple Peel Jelly, which makes another beautiful gift. http://www.recipelink.com/mf/20/7379

Lol Whitney! Good point, but I do agree with Jennifer that this would cost me less than 58 cents. Still, for someone like me with a lot of time on my hands and very little money, being able to whip up a pie crust on the spur of the moment is a better deal than buying the frozen ones when they are on sale and I don’t need them.

Haha! Jennifer- that’s great news if it’s even cheaper.
And Whitney- it’s totally worth the 45 cents! 🙂 There’s minimal cleanup (I mean, I guess the fork that you stir with and your measuring cup… and, of course, the countertop because I spill flour too) and it’s delicious. Definitely better than storebought.
Plus, if you have more minutes than pennies, this becomes even more appealing. 🙂

I will be trying this recipe soon. While I am so tight on time right now (I work FT, have a toddler and a second on the way) I think if it is important to you to eat well, and to feed your family better, you will take the time to make this instead of buying it from the store with shortening and partially-hydrogenated oils and all kinds of other junk in it : )

The recipe makes 20 freezable delicious crusts. Very easy and economical. they are great to have on hand for quiches, pies & cinnamon/sugar twists! My only advice: make sure you have a really big bowl (I use a roaster).

I agree with the time factor but it still sounds like a great recipe to have in my back pocket. The whole idea of mixing everything in the pie dish and pressing the ingredients out in the same dish is an A+ in my book. I get flour every where when I try to do the roll it out on the counter method. Not to mention my husband is diabetic so I like to buy wheat pie crusts when I make quiches. These have gotten terribly expensive lately. I’m going to try using half wheat flour in this recipe. We’ll see what happens. :o)

I make a similar oil-based recipe, using ice water instead of milk and no sugar. I just whisk together 1/3 cup oil (I use extra-light olive oil for this) and 4 tablespoons ice water in a glass measuring cup until emulsified. Then I add the liquid to 1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl and mix quickly with a fork until the dough is moistened. Then I roll out the dough between two pieces of waxed paper, peel off the paper, and place the dough in the pie pan. That’s the tricky part, but you could skip the rolling step and just press the dough into the pie pan.

I make a similar oil-based recipe, using ice water instead of milk and no sugar. I whisk together 1/3 cup oil (I use extra-light olive oil for this) and 4 tablespoons ice water in a glass measuring cup until emulsified. Then I add the liquid to 1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl and mix quickly with a fork until moistened. Then I roll out the dough between two pieces of waxed paper, peel off the paper, and place the dough in the pie pan. That’s the tricky part, but you could skip the rolling and just press the dough into the pie pan.

I did 12 pie crusts last week, rolled them out between wax paper, and froze them on top of a piece of cardboard all in a large ziplock bag. I thought it was a lot of trouble until I came home last night and whipped up two quick tomato pies because I had the crust already done and tomatoes coming out of my ears in the garden. So, yes, it may be worth it to buy them with coupons but this time I saved myself some time, gas, and energy by having them at home ready to go. And they were good!!! : )